The Quick and the Dead
by StangeInterests32
Summary: Savitar is going to kill Iris West. There was no changing that fact in his mind. And destiny seemed to be in his favor. But maybe, with a little help from a couple of friends, and one very difficult decision, destiny will let a major detail change in favor of Ms. West.


Author's Note: So, the prevailing theory is that Iris didn't die, and that someone else took her place. I won't say who in this notation for spoiler's sake for those who haven't paying attention to the internet, but it's a theory I think is possible and holds water. This is my take on how I think it might happen. All ideas are mine, but should they match up with what happens on screen, well then – Whoo and Hoo!

As always, please enjoy.

* * *

I have got to be out my mind, H.R. thought as he stood by the portal. As he watched the swirling vortex move like water that had been isolated into a single space in time, he hoped he'd sent the message correctly. He'd have hated to have some random speedster come through, and that was a best-case scenario.

Seconds later the portal seemed to bulge for a fraction of a second before finally, a figure came forth in a streak of yellow lightning. H.R. smiled as he looked upon the red and black clad Jesse Quick, near panic written on her face, even through the mask.

"Ms. Quick, salutations milady," he greeted with a small bow.

"H.R.?" Jesse asked in confusion. "I thought I was here to meet Wally."

"Yes, um, about that," H.R. told her, sounding like a child about to admit to something very bad. "Wallace didn't send you that message, I did."

Jesse stared at him like she wanted to hit him – again.

"So, he's not hurt like he – you – told me?" Jesse asked.

Once again, H.R. knew he was about to say something very wrong. After giving her a quick reminder of the Savitar incident that led her to deciding to go to Earth-3, he began explaining the events of the past couple of months, and finally the last twenty-four hours.

Jesse looked angry, though he couldn't tell if it was from him not telling her about Wally first, out about the whole situation. She also looked horribly saddened, the news about Caitlin and who Savitar really was hitting her harder than she thought. Immediately she tried to walk out to go see Wally, only to be halted by H.R. when he gently grabbed her shoulders.

"Let me go, I need to see Wally," she ordered him.

"And you will, but first you need to help me save Iris."

"I thought you said Barry and the team had a plan?"

"They do, but it's not going to work," H.R. told her bluntly. She looked at him, not knowing if he was crazy, giving up, or just had no faith in their friends. "The plan is…the plan works on paper, in theory. But a while back, Barry asked me, if I thought it was possible to change the future. I told him no. That either things are going to happen no matter what we do, or that in our attempts to change the future, we actually bring it about.

'This is the latter. We thought if we had enough information, that if we…if we moved enough pieces on the board, that we could prevent this. But we can't. All roads lead to this, to Savitar killing Iris West tonight."

"Yet you think you can stop that? You just said…"

"I said all roads lead to Savitar killing Iris West tonight. But we can tweak things just enough that the same outcome _appears_ to happen. Savitar will kill Iris. But Iris won't be the one dying tonight."

"What are you talking about?" Jesse asked him, more confused than usual from his statement.

"Savitar getting his armored hands on Iris is my fault. I need to make up for that."

"That wasn't your fault, he fooled you. All of you," Jesse reasoned.

"Yeah, but I'm the one who said where Iris was. Me," he said, tapping his chest with one of his drum sticks.

"You can't blame yourself. If what you said is true, then he would've gotten her anyway. All you can do is let Barry stop him. What do you think you're going to do that Barry couldn't?"

"I can fool Savitar," H.R. answered.

The response hung in the air. Jesse didn't know what that meant. Part of her reasoned that she didn't want to know. H.R. was not in a good place as far as she was concerned. He was feeling desperate and guilty, and neither of those things were good for making decisions.

"How? If he knows everything Barry does, how are you going to fool him?"

H.R. gave a small smile. The first smile he'd had since Iris was taken. He then pulled his facial transmorgification device from his pocket and held it up to his face. In a steam of bright light, Jesse watched as H.R.'s face, and body, changed from his own into Iris'. Jesse's eyes widened and her mouth opened in horror. No, she thought, he can't be serious. She started to shake her head at him. He started to nod his head at her.

"H.R., no," she pleaded.

"Jesse…"

"It's suicide," she shouted at him.

"It's…it's…a chance to fix what I did," he argued as he turned himself back into himself.

"You don't want to fix anything other than your own guilt," she said, taking his hands in hers, her voice lowered and softer. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. "And what do Barry, and Cisco, and Joe, and everybody else think about this?"

H.R. diverted his gaze.

"They have no clue what you're thinking, do they?"

"They'd never…they would try –"

"They would try and stop you," she finished for him. "And did you think I wouldn't?"

H.R. didn't answer. He knew she would. She was a hero after all. And it didn't help him that he was wearing her father's face. He looked at her, into her green eyes and didn't know why he ever thought she would help. But he had to try something.

"Who's more important to this team? To Barry?" he posed. "Me? Or Iris?"

"Don't you ask me that," she told him. She then pushed him angrily. "Don't you dare make me choose."

"The alternative to not doing this, is Barry losing the most important person in the world to him and turning into, into that…"

"Monster," Jesse finished.

"If we can stop that from happening, then one life, no matter who's it is, it isn't lost in vain."

Jesse didn't respond. She didn't know how. Every instinct was telling her to stop H.R., to protect him, even from himself. That was what heroes did. But we also stop monsters, she thought. And Savitar was the worst kind, a man driven past all reason, beyond all conscience. He would not stop until Iris was dead. And didn't she deserve to be saved, too?

"Well, Jesse? Are you going to help save Iris?"

* * *

Infantino was the sight of the Flash's most important showdown. He was face to face with the self-professed God of Speed. Iris had already been cast aside so that Savitar could test Barry's resolve, or arrogance, in his opinion.

"I'm gonna stop you," Barry said, the angered determination in his voice.

Barry sped away, only to return a second later, Tracy Brand's speed bazooka in his hands. In a blinding display of white lightning and the energy from the bazooka, Iris West watched from the ground, praying that Barry could hit his target, and that the weapon worked like it was supposed to.

Suddenly, Iris saw a flashing streak of yellow light and suddenly found herself standing on top of a building.

"What the…?" she asked, turning around confused. "Jesse?" she gasped as she saw Jesse standing next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," Jesse answered. Iris noticed that there was something in Jesse's voice. There was a trace of hurt, of…sadness. If Iris didn't know better, she would've almost said it sounded like grief. "By…"

"By what?" Iris asked.

"Now, finally, I am free of you."

Iris turned when she suddenly heard Savitar gloating at the top of his mechanized voice. She looked over the edge of the building and saw Barry and Savitar facing off, with Savitar holding – her.

"Please, I'm begging you," they heard Barry shout.

"Barry," Iris heard herself yell. She then watched as a blade erected itself from Savitar's arm.

"You lose, Barry," Savitar reveled as he drew his arm back. Both Iris and Jesse heard Barry scream and begin to charge at Savitar. But it was all for naught, as the next thing they saw was Barry cradling Iris in his arms, her body lifeless.

"Oh, my God," Iris almost shouted. "But…how?" she asked, turning back toward Jesse. Jesse was crouch down on the ground, her head down, face buried in her hands. Iris could hear her sobbing. Iris bent down and kneeled next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Jesse? What is it? Who's down there? Who died in my place?"

As she continued to cry into her hands, feeling her mask loosening from the tears, she shook her head. Jesse didn't know how to answer without causing the same grief for the woman was given a cheat over death.


End file.
